Mail-box lock and collection indicator



June 3 1924. 1,495,980

E L BISHOP SMIL' B ox Lo'cx AND VGOLLEQTION` INDICATOR Filed 0G11. 16. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l www, I

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June 3, 1924. 1,495,980

E. L. BISHOP MAIL BOX LOCK AD COLLECTION INDICATOR- Filed oct. 16. 1922 2 shessheer2 L Q31/ m39 42 Z Y 26 y a/a EIIIIIJ 225 I a7 40 v Patented June 3, 1924.

UNITED 4STATES EDWARD L. BISHOP, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

MAIL-BOX LOCK AND COLLECTION INDICATOR.

Application filed October 16, 41922. Serial No. 594,968.

To @ZZ idiom t may concern: y

Be 1t known that I, EDWARD L. BisHor,

1 a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Box Locks and Collection Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to a combination lock and indicator for mail boXes and more particularly to a novel indicator mechanism for setting the hour of collection.

An important object of the invention is to provide a combination lock and collection indicator of the character above specified which is key-actuated and which is so constructed as tov be operable for indicating the hour of the next collection, only when 'the proper key is inserted in the lock.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a combination lock and mailcollection indicator of generally improved construction and design, and one which is adapted for both day and night collections, novel means being provided for indicating A. M. and P. M. collections.

With these and other objects in View.

ywhich will become apparent as the descrip tion proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts. hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like characters of references indicate like parts throughout the several figures, of which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a mail box with a part broken away to disclose the combination lock and indicator;

Figure 2, an end view of the mail box disclosing the indicator dial and key slot;

Figure 3,l a vertical central section taken longitudinally through the `lock and indicator mechanism;

Figure 4, a top view of the mechanism, with parts shown in section, including a fragment of the key;

Figure 5. a detailed view of the dial catch. including the units associated therewith, and

Figure 6, a detailed view of the'slide har and pinion.

Fig. 7, a fragmentary view of the dial and lock, illustrating the A. M. and P. M. collection-indicating means.

Describing the invention in detail, 10 indicates a mail box of conventional type having the usual letter-drop 11 provided in one side thereof and a hinged door 12 at one end. In applying the invention to t-he mail box, the door 12 is provided with a central opening to permit passage of the barrel 13 of 50 the lock mechanism, the same extending inwardly of the mail box and being provided with a circular head 14 suitably fastened to the door 12 by bolts, rivets, or other suitable fasteners 15. 16, to provide a seat for a dial ring 17, the same being thus snugly engaged between the head 14 and the adjacent face of door 12, and being rotatable on its seat.

Extending longitudinally of the lock barrel 13 is a key-hole slot 18 which terminates inwardly of the inner yend ofthe bai'rel, in a large circular recess 19. Located in recess 19 is the pinion 20 shown iii Figure 6. This pinionis provided adjacent one edge with teeth 21 for engaging the teeth 22 of slide bar 23, as hereinafter explained. At its oppositiev edge the pinion is provided with spaced peripheral grooves 24 with which engage lugs oi' ribs 25 formed on the inner 80 wall of recess 19. These ribs prevent endwise movement of the pinion although permitting the same to freely `revolve.4 .The pinion is revolved by means of a key of conventional type (not shown), the tongue of which is received in the key slot 28 of the pinion. The open end of recess 19 is nor mally closed by plug 29 threadedly engaged in the end of the lock barrel as illustrated.

Slide bar 23 is employed to lock door 12 90 l to the mail box and is provided with a latch portion 30 resting flatly against the upper edge of the door and being slidably disposed through a guide' bracket 31 fastened to the door as shown at 32. From a point below the bracket, the slide bar extends rearwardly and downwardly as shown, terminating at its inner end in aA depending rack portion 33 arranged in parallelism with latch 30 and' being slidably disposed within the vertical slot 34 of a guide casing 13 formed integral with one side of lock barrel 13 and communicating with recess `19 so that pinion 21 willmesli with the teeth 22 of rack bar It will thus be seen that the pinion when rotated by the turning of the key will raise or lower the slide bar` thus locking or releasing door 12, as will be readily understood from 'Figures 1 and 2.

To provide for indicating the hour of collection, dial ring 17 is provided on its outer face with graduation and markings Head 14 is shouldered, as at 05 similar to the graduation and markings of a clock dial. The dial ring is, moreover, provided around its central opening with a plurality of teeth 34. Mounted on lock barrel 13 for engagement with teeth 34C is a dial catch comprising a bar 35 pivotally supported in a saddle 36 suitably fastened to the lock barrel which it straddles as shown in the drawings. At one end catch bar 35 is provided with an upstanding iinger 37 which is suitably accommodated in a slot or other opening in the back ot head 14 and'pointed at its upper end for engagement with teeth 34E of the dial ring. lThe catch is normally held in locking engagement with the dial ring to preventvrotation thereof, by means of a spring 38 and aplunger 39 arranged, as shown in Figure 3, to exert an upward thrust against the forward end of the dial catch. The butt end 40 of the dia-l catch rests upon the upper edge of stem 41, the latter being reliably disposed in vertical slot in lock barrel 13 and havingL its lower end reduced to provide a shoulder engaging a suitable seat in the slot to limit downward movement ot the stem. Beyond the shoulder portions, however, the stem presents a projection 42, penetrating` the upper portion of the key slot 1S and normally disposed in the path of the key so as to be elevated by the insertion of the latter whereupon the dial catch will be rocked on its pivot to disengage the teeth ot' the dial ring, which may then be turned and set to vindicate (he hour ot the. next collection.

The head 1a of the lock barrel may have a pointer painted or otherwise provided thereon, as is shown at Li3, and a large letter M arranged on the right hand side of the pointer, as seen in Figure 2. On the left hand side adjacent the letter M is an opening 44C behind which is formed a circular recess 4:5 in which is mounted -lor rotation a small indicator 4G having thereon the letters A and P. Integral with this dial is a pinion Li7 arranged to mesh with theteeth 34 of the dial ring 17. The ratio adjusted to indicate the time of the next collection; the ring making one complete revolution every twelve hours. The lock mechanism is preferably of the key-actuated type and may be of any conventional and well known type most suitable for the purpose in view. l

In practice, I have found that the form of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most el'licient and practical; yet realizing the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts, may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from or sacrificof the dial ior automatically indicating- A..

lil. and I). M. collections.

Q. A. r(.'omblnation lock and indicator for mail boxes comprising a lock mechanism includinga fixed head and a rotatable dial j having time-graduation thereon, said lixed head having a pointer for reading the said graduation and an opening bordered on one side with the letter M, a memberdispoeed in the rear ot the-said opening and presenting the letters A and IJ for registration therewith, said member being operable by the turning ot the said dial to present the said letters A and P alternately at the opening during successive periods'ot rotation of the dial` means associatedwith the said lock mechanism for .holding the dial against rotation and means opera-bleupon the insertion of a key in the lock `for effecting releaseor1 the said dial.

- EDW. L. BISHOP. litnesses HAMPTON E. ELLIS, Mrs. FAYA. Herr. 

